On January 9, 2025, the Department of Labor announced its annual inflation adjustments to OSHA civil penalties for 2025. The higher penalties will take effect for violations issued on or after January 15, 2025. Below are the maximum penalty amounts:
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Type of Violation
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Previous Max Penalty (2024)
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New Max Penalty (2025)
|
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Serious
Other-Than-Serious
Posting Requirements
|
$16,131 per violation
|
$16,550 per violation
|
|
Failure to Abate
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$16,131 per day beyond the abatement date
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$16,550 per day beyond the abatement date
|
|
Willful or Repeated
|
$161,323 per violation
|
$165,514 per violation
|
State plan workplace safety agencies are required to increase their maximum penalties in alignment with OSHA’s penalty increases to maintain at least as effective penalty levels.
The Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act of 2015 requires the DOL to annually adjust its civil penalties for inflation no later than January 15th of each year. Annual civil penalty increases are tied to the annual cost-of-living increases across the federal government and to inflation.
Other DOL civil penalties are similarly increasing. More information can be found in the final rule.
Employers with questions or concerns about the final rule should contact knowledgeable employment counsel.
